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State Senator Jack Harper
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| Joined: | Sun Aug 27th, 2006 |
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Posted: Mon Aug 18th, 2008 03:13 am |
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I would like to thank thank the citizens of Legislative District Four for allowing me to serve these past six years. I would also like to take the opportunity to point out some of the victories for conservative principles that were achieved during this tenure.
In 2003, my first session in the State Senate, I proposed three bills that were unique and bold. One was to require the Arizona Army National Guard to train along the Arizona/Mexico Border. While the bill only had a few co-sponsors and died in committee eight to one, it has become a common belief that the National Guard is needed on the border. I claim that as a victory for your trust in me. The second was to prevent cities from granting large sale-tax subsidies to big-box retail stores. That issue passed a couple of years later, carried by Representative Rick Murphy. I claim that as a victory for your trust in me. The third was to prevent cities from overstepping their statutory authority to regulate business signs and roof design when the business had a proprietary design. That was partially upheld by the State Supreme Court and solidified in a subsequent bill. In all three issues, individual liberty was the goal and I was initially rebuffed at the Capitol.
Since that time, I have been successful in ushering through the legislature several prominent and difficult bills. In 2005, I carried the highest-profile bill to defend the right to keep and bear arms that the legislature has passed. The National Rifle Association's president personally thanked me for my efforts and influence at the Capitol. In 2005, I compelled fellow legislators to eliminate the income tax on active-duty military pay. Leadership agreed to eliminate it for a year and I followed up the next year for a permanent elimination. It was terrible that Arizona taxed the income of our military members as they are overseas defending our freedoms and protecting against terrorists attacks at home. In 2007, after Congress had passed legislation in 2006 to allow the President to control a state's National Guard for any reason, I compelled my fellow legislators to pass a bill to create an auxiliary to the National Guard. The bill to create the Homeland Security Force was vetoed but had bi-partisan support in the legislature. The move by Congress was overly aggressive and repealed earlier this year.
The most successful thing accomplished this year for conservative principles, was to refer to the ballot the constitutional amendment to solidify that marriage is defined as "the union of one man and one woman." This took extraordinary effort. The legislature has handed the baton off to you in the November election. On the last day of the legislative session, Senator Verschoor, Huppenthal, and myself endured great scorn by militant liberals to bring this issue to the ballot. I claim that as a victory for your trust in me. Thank you for allowing me to continue to serve. I can be reached at jhrtp@msn.com
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Spontus
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| Joined: | Mon Aug 11th, 2008 |
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Posted: Mon Aug 11th, 2008 11:39 pm |
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Senator Harper,
I was wondering if you could answer some questions based on your submissions to this forum and your published platform during your last few campaigns.
1. You report that you want to “permanently repeal the state property tax in 2009.” What services are paid for by the funds generated from this tax? Are those services going to disappear, and if not, how will you provide funding for these services in our current fiscal climate? Have you discussed the possibility of eliminating services with those who elected you?
2. You list “Sealing the Border!” as one of your priorities and list a number of accomplishments. In my personal opinion, the border still appears to be fairly open and I know that both of us pass a number of illegal aliens during our daily commutes. You even report that the problem with our hospitals is the overwhelming number of illegal aliens and that “the fast food industry would be in a tough bind without this influx of labor.” How can this be true if you have, “Sealed the Border!”? What real change have you affected during your years in office?
3. You list education as one of your priorities and give a bullet point list of items most teachers would appreciate on your photos page. Why have the teachers of this state (including your wife’s teacher’s association) endorsed your opponent in this race? Why after your many years of being focused on education does our state still rank as one of the worst in the nation in education?
4. You identify yourself as a main of faith and constantly invoke “the grace of God” within your campaign. How can you make this claim and exhibit behavior and actions, which seem to contradict all that Christianity is based upon? I have read your quotes, watched your interviews, and reviewed your actions during senate broadcasts and during the recent debates. I believe that while Jesus may love you, he would not like your behavior very much.
5. Senator Harper, do you remember these concepts?
But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. [size=~]Matthew 5:43-47
“You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”[size= ~ Mark 10:42-45]
[size= ]
And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”[size= ~ Mark 8:34-38]
As an individual familiar with emergency medicine, I would also like to add that the problem with Arizona Hospitals does not stem from illegal aliens (besides, your first accomplishment / priority in your campaign was to seal the border – if your efforts have been so effective, how could this possibly be the problem?). It is the result of several issues that include; a lack of health care coverage for many Arizona residents, explosive population growth in legislative district 4 with no new hospitals built, patients using emergency rooms for non-emergency conditions, and the like. Your simplistic response to this problem is insulting.
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State Senator Jack Harper
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| Joined: | Sun Aug 27th, 2006 |
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| Posts: | 384 |
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Posted: Sun Jul 6th, 2008 10:21 pm |
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I would like to thank thank the citizens of Legislative District Four for allowing me to serve these past six years. I would also like to take the opportunity to point out some of the victories for conservative principles that were achieved during this tenure.
In 2003, my first session in the State Senate, I proposed three bills that were unique and bold. One was to require the Arizona Army National Guard to train along the Arizona/Mexico Border. While the bill only had a few co-sponsors and died in committee eight to one, it has become a common belief that the National Guard is needed on the border. I claim that as a victory for your trust in me. The second was to prevent cities from granting large sale-tax subsidies to big-box retail stores. That issue passed a couple of years later, carried by Representative Rick Murphy. I claim that as a victory for your trust in me. The third was to prevent cities from overstepping their statutory authority to regulate business signs and roof design when the business had a proprietary design. That was partially upheld by the State Supreme Court and solidified in a subsequent bill. In all three issues, individual liberty was the goal and I was initially rebuffed at the Capitol.
Since that time, I have been successful in ushering through the legislature several prominent and difficult bills. In 2005, I carried the highest-profile bill to defend the right to keep and bear arms that the legislature has passed. The National Rifle Association's president personally thanked me for my efforts and influence at the Capitol. In 2005, I compelled fellow legislators to eliminate the income tax on active-duty military pay. Leadership agreed to eliminate it for a year and I followed up the next year for a permanent elimination. It was terrible that Arizona taxed the income of our military members as they are overseas defending our freedoms and protecting against terrorists attacks at home. In 2007, after Congress had passed legislation in 2006 to allow the President to control a state's National Guard for any reason, I compelled my fellow legislators to pass a bill to create an auxiliary to the National Guard. The bill to create the Homeland Security Force was vetoed but had bi-partisan support in the legislature. The move by Congress was overly aggressive and repealed earlier this year.
The most successful thing accomplished this year for conservative principles, was to refer to the ballot the constitutional amendment to solidify that marriage is defined as "the union of one man and one woman." This took extraordinary effort. The legislature has handed the baton off to you in the November election. On the last day of the legislative session, Senator Verschoor, Huppenthal, and myself endured great scorn by militant liberals to bring this issue to the ballot. I claim that as a victory for your trust in me. Thank you for allowing me to continue to serve. I can be reached at jhrtp@msn.com Last edited on Mon Jul 7th, 2008 05:15 am by State Senator Jack Harper
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